The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 15:4-8, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,

unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he

bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.

6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up;

and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it

shall be done for you.

8 “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My

disciples.”

Have you ever spent time reading something only to finish and ask yourself, “What on earth did he say?” I’m confident that this happens in every generation and in every country. Jesus avoided misunderstandings by speaking on the level of the people He was addressing. He was so interested in being understood that He resorted to stories and simple life experiences that could hardly be missed.

The LORD created us for Himself. We are the object of His love. At the same time, He longs for us to love Him. In these verses, Jesus speaks of Himself as “the Vine” and His people as “the branches.” The branches produce the grapes, but only when they are securely attached to the Vine.

The word “abide” means “to settle down and make one’s self at home.” The meaning here is for us to enjoy fellowship with the LORD in His Word, in prayer, and in witnessing –all of which results in our becoming more and more like Him and leading to the salvation of the lost, all of which glorifies the LORD!

Failure to abide in the LORD results in devastation (“thrown away…and cast…into the fire…”). Yet, for those who abide in Him and have adapted to His Life, they produce much “fruit” and their prayers are answered! Exactly what constitutes “fruit” in this passage is open to interpretation. Some believe that it refers to the souls that are brought to faith in Christ. Others would include salvation, but widen the meaning to embrace one’s Christlike lifestyle. Whatever the intended meaning, we do well to submit to His invitation to live with Him. For the “weather” that is always with us requires substantial protection; and that protection is always and only provided by the LORD Jesus Christ. Move in, and start really living!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 5:1-4, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;

2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an

offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

3 But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you,

as is proper among saints;

4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not

fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”

Has anyone ever said to you, “You are just like your dad”? What they mean is either, you look like him or you act like him. You remind them of someone else.

The biblical word for imitator is ??????? mimetes, a mimic. It is one who portrays the character, mood, or ideas of another. In the case of mimicking God, the intention is not that we should simply act the part; rather, it is that we might truly become like Him. It’s not a superficial portrayal; it’s the real thing.

So, what is God like? He is love; and we are to love others as He loves us. God’s love was manifested most graphically in His giving of His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. Which of your children would you give in exchange for a neighbor –especially, an obnoxious, foul-mouthed, greedy neighbor? But, God did.

God gave His Son, Jesus Christ, who willingly went to the Cross for those who were immoral, greedy, filthy, foul-mouthed and generally noxious. In His death, He took all of our sins upon Himself, making it possible for us to become loving

of God and all mankind regardless of their lifestyles.

Recently, I learned of an email sent to a close friend of mine. The sender was brief, but simply said, “Thanks for the seed that was well planted.” The recipient of the email focused on a time many years ago when my friend had led the sender to faith in Christ. Who would have known that the sender would become a friend to missionaries and share with them God’s love, as my friend had shared with the sender? Love produces some strange and wonderful situations!

We all want to be loved. And the way to be loved is to love others. “God loved us and sent His Son.” When we yield our lives to Him, He saturates us with His love; and His love in us spills over onto others. Wouldn’t you like to be a mimic of Him?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 4:25-29, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.

28 Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.

29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Ever so often a woodpecker flies into my back yard. Woodpeckers are interesting both to see and to hear. What’s of particular interest is not knowing when he is going to peck and when he is going to stop pecking. The Apostle Paul is somewhat like that. He transitions quickly from subject to subject, making it difficult to comment on small portions of this theses.

In the verses above, Paul emphasizes truth –speaking only truth. That’s wise counsel,

because it becomes a guarantee of everything that is said. People who sometimes tell the truth, leave us wondering what part of what they’re saying is true and what is not.

It is not a sin to be angry. That’s a normal reaction to a lot of things, even people. But, don’t let that anger continue to boil within you. Keep short accounts. Anger likes to linger. What’s more, Satan is excited to see anger linger within us because it stifles love.

Theft is seldom an option. Maybe your neighbor is not home and the tool he possesses is just what you need for the moment. Taking the tool without the owner’s permission might be called theft; it depends largely upon the motive of the offender. Is he truly just borrowing it, or has he taken it with other intentions? Probably, the relationship of the two men will solve the mystery.

Paul prefers labor to theft. So should we all. Labor is productive; theft is destructive. Labor provides not only for the household of the laborer, it provides for the neighbor and his family, too. Sharing is a Christian virtue. Some sharing is ongoing in nature; some is incidental to the cause. Still, both are virtuous. Pray about what you should give, and to whom. None of what you possess is yours anyway! The performance of your own hands is ultimately the work of the LORD. Prayer allows His guidance.

Keep a clean mind and mouth. Close fellowship with the LORD guards both. If our minds are focused on Christ, what our mouths emit will be in agreement with our fellowship with Him. We need to remember that what we say will affect those who hear it.

I love good humor! We all need to laugh occasionally. Humor is edifying if used correctly. Buying milk at the store today, I told the clerk (who was wearing a mask) that the girl in my drive-through bank was wearing a mask. I quickly put up my hands and told her it was the first time in my life that my bank had robbed me! I’m probably wrong, but I want to believe that even Paul would have laughted at that.

We live in difficult days. We must not allow the troubles of the world to dig a grave for us. At the same time, we must allow the Holy Spirit to have thorough control; for as we do so, we will be giving “grace to those who hear.” May the LORD bless and lead us all!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

1 Corinthians 2:6-9, “…we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;

7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory;

8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;

9 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man –all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Did you ever try to speak to a child as if he were an adult? If you did, you were probably not surprised that he didn’t understand your meaning. Further, the child probably didn’t understand your words. Words are always necessary to make a meaning clear. I was only a child when a woman spoke to me in French. I knew nothing of what she said!

Paul had just denounced the superiority of speech and wisdom. They were all the rage in ancient Greece. Yet, Paul used simple words when preaching and teaching about the LORD Jesus Christ. He wanted everyone to understand the Gospel. At the same time, he recognized that while the LORD intended His words for all mankind, some things were concealed until a predetermined time. None of the rulers of previous ages had understood the LORD’s Words. Had they understood, “they would not have crucified the LORD of glory.”

Then in the ninth verse, Paul shakes the mentality of the Corinthian Christians (to say nothing of what he does to you and me!) when he states, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

It was a quotation of Isaiah 64:4, “For from of old, they have not heard nor perceived by ear, neither has the eye seen a God besides Thee, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.”

This word from the Father fundamentally concerns the LORD Jesus Christ. None of those in the Old Testament era fully understood Jesus’ coming ministry or sacrifice. Some believers today fail to understand that the LORD has phenomenal “surprise blessings” for us –we just have to wait for His timing! We don’t come close to guessing what blessings He has for us. Yet, in His own time, His blessings will be poured out upon believers in a fury beyond belief! Is it all worth waiting for? Indeed it is! But, how precious and glorious the gifts depends upon our trust and obedience to His promises.

Turn your heart to the LORD! Earnestly study and treasure His Word! Faithfully pray for the lost, for missionaries, for your family, for your pastor-teachers, for you own life! You have no idea how glorious God’s gifts can be! (Thank You, LORD!)

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

1 Corinthians 2:1-5, “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority

of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.

2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.

4 And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in

demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

5 that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”

It was one of those extraordinary situations. I was leaving a meeting where some of the most well-known preachers of that era had spoken. In the huge exodus from the auditorium, one person was overheard to say, “What a marvelous preacher that man that man is!” While in the same crowd leaving the same meeting, another was overheard to say, “What a marvelous Savior that man has!”

Real ministry for Christ excels not in the magnificence of oratorical genius, but in the humility of heart in the one who has been with Jesus. Paul addresses the Corinthians Christians with this simple truth: Christ and Him crucified. All great men of God have

exemplified personal weakness while emphasizing the strength and power of Almighty God!

Why is this true? The secret is that when men sense their own inadequacy in sharing truths about Almighty God, the Holy Spirit countermands that human weakness with the power of Divine Truth. And it is that truth that convinces lost mankind of his lostness and

awakens his dead spirit to embrace the LORD Jesus Christ as his Savior and LORD! It’s not psychological manipulation; it’s the Divine operation of the Holy Spirit of God.

Let your faith rest in the power of God; and He will touch the soul that we cannot.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”